A Therapist’s Suggestions for Coping With Mood Swings
Have you ever found yourself sobbing over a seemingly heart-wrenching commercial only to see it a few weeks later and feel significantly less moved? Why isn’t it as dramatic as you remembered, you ask yourself. And then you realize it was probably because the first time you saw the commercial it was a few days […]
CDC Changes Effectiveness Rating on Fertility Awareness Methods
Until recently, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the failure rate of Fertility Awareness-Based Methods in avoiding pregnancy was 24%, which would discourage most couples from using them and would prevent doctors from recommending them. Earlier this year, they changed this posted rate to “2% to 23%” which is a major change for the […]
Under New Bill, Wisconsin Pharmacists Could Prescribe Hormonal Birth Control
According to an article published by Wisconsin Public Radio, Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin are introducing a new bill that would allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control pills and patches. As of now, only doctors can prescribe birth control under Wisconsin state law. Under this proposed law, all that would be required of patients would be […]
We Ought to Think Twice About Getting a Prescription without Seeing a Doctor
As a busy woman with a lot on her plate, I am all for streamlining where possible and making time to focus on the things that are important to me: my family, my work, and my health. I’m often for it when technology makes daily tasks quicker, easier, and cheaper. Grocery shopping from home? Yes, […]
Study Suggests that Giving Progesterone to Women May Improve Chances of Having a Baby
The BBC recently reported on a research study which suggested that by giving the hormone progesterone to women who have miscarried or who are experiencing bleeding early on in their pregnancy, may improve their chances of having a baby. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Birmingham and published in the New England […]
How to Lend a Hand When Someone You Care About is Getting Help with Infertility
One of the greatest benefits of Fertility Awareness-Based Methods of family planning is that they do help couples plan their families in the truest sense: unlike the Pill and other forms of artificial birth control, FABMs don’t just help avoid pregnancy, they can help achieve it! By interpreting a woman’s chart, couples and their doctor […]
How to Talk About Cycles with Your Kids
As a fertility awareness educator, I often hear how women are surprised they never heard answers to simple questions about their menstrual cycles before. They often ask me how they can pass on greater clarity to their children in age-appropriate ways. Let me count the ways. While in some parts of the world, a woman’s […]
Study Links Hormonal Birth Control to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
A recent article in Longevity, asks, “Breast Cancer: Are The Risks Linked To Birth Control Devices?” While Longevity article describes birth control as a blessing of modern medicine for women today, shortly after it states a sobering fact: “However, this blessing may increase the risk of breast cancer.” This blessing can easily be reframed as […]
Remembering the Iconic Congressional Hearings on Birth Control Safety
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Nelson Pill Hearings held in 1970, what’s striking is how the time that has passed doesn’t change their importance or relevance. At the time they were held, Senator Gaylord Nelson chaired the hearings with the goal of addressing two concerns: Whether The Pill had been proven safe […]
New Shocking Reasons Hormonal Contraceptives Tank Women’s Sex Drive
One of the greatest paradoxes about birth control is that, while it may make sex seem more available to women, many women taking the drugs feel less in the mood. The connections between hormonal contraceptives and symptoms of low libido are long established. But research reveals further reasons women may be experiencing less sexual pleasure […]